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Where the TLC works

TLC Mission Territory

The TLC is working to preserve natural areas in the Thumb region of Michigan, a post-glacial landscape where northern forest blends with central hardwoods, bordered by Lake Huron, the Saginaw Bay, the Saint Clair River, and Lake Saint Clair. The TLC mission territory is Saint Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Lapeer, and Macomb Counties, but we may also work in adjacent areas as opportunities arise.

TLC Philosophy

The Thumb Land Conservancy (TLC) was formed in 2008 to provide an organization dedicated to filling the gap of natural area preservation in Michigan's Thumb. Although much attention has been given to a few areas near Lake Saint Clair and along Saginaw Bay, the interior of the Thumb has been largely ignored.

There is a general misconception that little is worth saving north of Detroit because of urban development and agriculture. While much of the landscape has been drastically altered, many high quality natural areas remain. Some habitats are nearly pristine, resembling conditions that existed before European settlement about 200 years ago.

Regardless of condition, the extensive destruction makes preservation even more critical in the Thumb. Small, degraded habitat fragments can be restored and expanded, and often serve as isolated havens for rare plant species. We believe all natural landscapes are important locally because they reflect a unique combination of history and features particular to that location. Many benefits of nature are obtained and enjoyed only locally. We believe it is especially important for children to have natural areas nearby where they can play, grow, and learn.

TLC is carrying on a tradition in the Thumb. In 1952, Macomb and Saint Clair Counties were the birthplace of what became the Michigan Nature Association (MNA), the first statewide land preservation group in Michigan. MNA was led for many years by the late Bertha Daubendiek of Kenockee Township in Saint Clair County, and is one of the few organizations that has protected land in the Thumb, with 18 sanctuaries here.

TLC Sanctuaries

Since forming in late 2008, the TLC has acquired three sanctuaries totaling about 68 acres: the 18-acre Dead End Woods Sanctuary in Fort Gratiot Township; the 38.5-acre Gerrits Sanctuary in Ira Township; and the 11.5-acre Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary in Fort Gratiot Township. So far, all TLC preserves are in Saint Clair County only because opportunities have arisen there. Our goal is to eventually protect land in every county of the Thumb.

Please contact the TLC if you are interested in donating land or a conservation easement. The TLC will try to help you protect any land you are interested in.

Dead End Woods Sanctuary

17.6 Acres in Fort Gratiot Township, Saint Clair County

The Dead End Woods Sanctuary was acquired by TLC from the Saint Clair County Drain Commissioner, Fred Fuller, in December 2008. As a condition for obtaining a wetland permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for the Huffman Drain and Bunce Creek drain project, Fred agreed to preserve nearly 12 acres of wetland in the Dead End Woods as mitigation by placing a conservation easement on the property. As mitigation options were being considered, the owner of one of the Dead End Woods parcels approached Fred with an offer to sell the land at a reasonable price. The MDEQ confirmed the presence of a large amount of wetland on the property and found that it is a high quality habitat. Fred then acquired adjacent land with additional wetland to fulfill all of the mitigation for the current phase of the drain project. As a means of satisfying MDEQ requirements for long-term monitoring and stewardship of the wetland, the two Dead End Woods parcels were then transferred to the TLC, relieving the Drain Commissioner from further responsibility for this land.

At 44.5, the Floristic Quality Index calculated for the Dead End Woods ranks well above 35, indicating a natural area of statewide significance. Some higher quality or interesting species that are not routinely encountered in natural areas of the region include Maidenhair Fern, Spikenard, Richweed, Hazelnut, Black Ash, Butternut, Spicebush, Tulip Tree, Cardinal Flower, Indian Pipe, Black Gum, Sycamore, Christmas Fern, Broad-leaved Goldenrod, Foamflower, and Eastern Hemlock.

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Extensive swamp forest.

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Mature forest with high floristic quality and diversity.

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Many Tuliptree saplings.

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American Hazelnut.

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One of several Spikenard.

Gerrits Sanctuary

38.5 Acres in Ira Township, Saint Clair County

On July 16, 2009, the TLC acquired its second nature sanctuary, the Gerrits Sanctuary, a generous donation from Lois Gerrits, the widow of the late Dr. James F. Gerrits. The closing was held at the Law Offices of Timothy J. Lozen, with attorney Anna Kovar and TLC executive board members William Collins and Terry Gill present. Ullenbruch Flowers and Gifts of Port Huron kindly donated a nice bouquet of flowers to express our appreciation to Mrs. Gerrits.

The Gerrits Sanctuary is 38.5 acres of southern mesic and southern swamp forest with old-field to the north. Crapaud Creek flows through the north end of the property, which is located only about ¾ mile north of Anchor Bay and Lake Saint Clair. Such coastal habitat is critical for migratory birds and insects that move along the Great Lakes.

The sanctuary is located along the east boundary of the City of New Baltimore and Macomb County in Ira Township, Saint Clair County. Although development has taken a toll on nearby land, the forest on the sanctuary is mature, contains many high quality woodland species, and is part of what appears to be the largest and least fragmented forest tract remaining along the Great Lakes coastline from Ohio north through the Algonac area, excluding Grosse Ile near Detroit, and Walpole Island on the Ontario side.

Dr. Gerrits was well known in Saint Clair County. He was co-pilot of a bomber in World War II, and later a fighter and test pilot. Because of his war experiences, he became an outspoken critic of war. He and Lois twice voluntarily went to Vietnam in the 1960’s, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Catholic Church, to provide civilian medical care to the people of both South and North Vietnam. Lois shared several stories about those times after our closing. The TLC will feature more about Dr. and Lois Gerrits in the future.

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The Gerrits family.

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Old-growth American Beech and Sugar Maple forest.

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Extensive swamp forest.

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Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary

11.5 Acres in Fort Gratiot Township, Saint Clair County

On June 28, 2010, the TLC acquired its third preserve, the 11.5-acre Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary in Fort Gratiot Township, Saint Clair County. The sanctuary is located south of Metcalf Road, along the east side of the Detroit Water Board property. The parcel was given to the TLC by Ray and Nancy Peltier to satisfy State of Michigan wetland mitigation requirements for an expansion of the Hamzavi Dermatology office in Fort Gratiot. As with our first preserve, the Dead End Woods Sanctuary in Fort Gratiot, the Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary is protected by a State of Michigan conservation easement. In accepting ownership of the mitigation property, the TLC agreed to be responsible for all monitoring, management, and long-term stewardship.

The Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary is a high quality wetland and upland complex with a unique geologic history, unique plant and animal community, significant Great Lakes coastal habitat, good restoration potential, and a great addition to the TLC preserve lands. The sanctuary is a small part of a much larger and ecologically unique beach ridge and swale landscape, a long, narrow formation within about 1 mile of the Lake Huron shoreline, extending from Port Huron into Sanilac County. The landscape began forming about 11,500 years ago as the last stages of the Wisconsinan glacier melted back and early Lake Huron was about 30 feet higher than today. About 1,500 years later, the melting glacier uncovered a new outlet from the Georgian Bay and the water dropped over 400 feet. The massive weight of glacial ice depressed the earth’s crust for thousands of years, but as it melted, the crust slowly rose and continues today. By 4,500 years ago, the drainage outlet from Georgian Bay raised such that early Lake Huron filled to the Lake Nipissing stage and back to the old shoreline of 7,000 years previous. Great Lakes drainage was gradually limited to the Mississippi River through the old Chicago outlet, and then to the Saint Clair River which rapidly down-cut and lowered the Great Lakes to modern levels, leaving a series of beach ridges as the water dropped.

The landscape consists of a series of mostly forested upland sand ridges and mucky wetland troughs or swales between. In Saint Clair County, the sand ridges average about 40 to 50 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet above the adjoining swales. The swales are usually about as wide as the ridges, but some are a few hundred feet wide. The beach ridge and swale landscape provides not only unique habitat, but also a record of Michigan’s post-glacial past.

On the Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary, wetland swales are covered by Silver Maple, Green Ash and Black Ash, the larger ash trees now all dead due to the Emerald Ash Borer, Eastern Cottonwood, and American Elm. The upland beach ridges are covered largely by Black Cherry, Bigtooth Aspen, and American Basswood, with scattered Black Oak, possibly hybridized with Northern Pin Oak, and a few Northern White-cedar. The lower ridge bases are lined with Paper Birch and covered by an unusual concentration of Alternate-leaved Dogwood.

Unique species on the sanctuary include Purple-flowering Raspberry, Yellow Lady’s-slipper orchid, and the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake. Purple-flowering Raspberry is the Lower Peninsula’s equivalent of the Upper Peninsula’s Thimbleberry, thought to be native to only 7 shoreline counties in Michigan. Yellow Lady’s-slipper orchid grows in a variety of habitats, but in Saint Clair County is largely restricted to the moist ridge bases and mucky swales of this landscape. The Eastern Hog-nosed Snake is a special reptilian inhabitant that prefers the more open sand of dunes and disturbed ground such as along the south end of the sanctuary. When aggravated, the snakes flatten their necks like a cobra, and then sometimes rolling over and play dead with their mouths hanging open. They can look imposing, but are harmless.

One of the most critical functions of this coastal forest habitat is the support it provides to an abundance of migratory birds as they move north and south along the Lake Huron shoreline. The spring and summer breeding bird population is very abundant and diverse in this area, especially the forest warblers. Several species of warblers have been identified on the Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary.

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The beach ridge and swale landscape in Fort Gratiot and Burtchville Townships.

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Purple-flowering Raspberry

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Yellow Lady's-slipper orchid

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Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

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Magnolia Warbler

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The TLC is conducting another Garlic Mustard pull at the
Dead End Woods Sanctuary in Fort Gratiot on Saturday, May 16, 2015. We will
meet at the dead end of Wilson Drive at noon. We could really use your help
because there are a lot of plants to pick. Anyone is welcome. Not only will you
get to know invasive Garlic Mustard extremely well, but you will learn several native
forest plants. And we will have a cook-out on the dead end so you can sample Garlic
Mustard fresh from the woods.

Garlic Mustard – Alliaria
petiolata was brought to North America as a culinary herb in the late 1800’s.
It’s native to Eurasia and North Africa, and like so many introduced species,
became an invasive weed here. It seems like we didn’t see much of it in the
area until the 1990’s, but since then it’s invaded a lot of our forests. Garlic
Mustard lives up to its name and is quite tasty, but is also quite invasive in
open woodlands, displacing native plant species where it grows in thick patches.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard is easily recognized by the small white flowers on plants that are typically a few feet tall at maturity, but can range from a few inches to over 3 feet tall. Each flower has 4 petals as do all the species in the Mustard Family, otherwise known as the Brassicaceae or the older Family name, Cruciferae, meaning "cross-bearing" and referring to the cross arrangement of the 4 flower petals. Other plants in this same family include mustard, of course, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, radish, horseradish, watercress, and rapeseed. Garlic Mustard can also be fairly well recognized by the basically triangular stem leaves with large blunt teeth. The basal leaves at the bottom of the plant are more rounded with wavy edges. Characteristic of the Mustard Family, the seeds are borne in long, thin pods that dry and split open to release the seeds in June and July. Garlic Mustard is biennial, meaning that it typically requires two years to mature. Each mature plant can produce hundreds of seeds that typically survive in the soil for 5 years or more. Because of the dormant seeds in the topsoil, Garlic Mustard control almost always requires multiple years of plant removal until all the seeds are dead.

Our board members have been steadily working each spring on
pulling the main patches of Garlic Mustard from the Dead End Woods but we
definitely need more help if we are going to completely get rid of it. We have
pulled it for 3 years in a row from one of the largest patches near the dead
end of Wilson Drive, so hopefully we are close to eliminating it in that area. Other
patches, we have only been able to pull sporadically. Sanctuary neighbor Howard
Parish helped us pull a bunch along the south property line a few years ago,
and this year we really need to hit that area again, hard.

If you or a group are interested in pulling Garlic Mustard
on other dates, we can possibly set alternate work days from late April through
early June. It’s best to get the plants in May before they begin setting seed.
The seed pods are usually mature and start opening by mid June. Garlic Mustard
pulling is a good activity for Scout service projects and school biology
classes. If you work for a restaurant or store interested in offering Garlic
Mustard greens, let’s talk. This could be a good opportunity for everyone.

On March 21 of 2014, the DTE Energy Foundation awarded the
TLC a grant of $2,500 for preserve stewardship support. This is the first
corporate grant that the TLC has received since our formation in 2008 and we
are thankful to DTE Energy. This money will be used primarily to organize and
conduct invasive weed control on TLC sanctuaries, along with other minor
stewardship activities. We held off using the funding last year because we were seeking further burn approvals and because we simply have a shortage of people interested in helping, but we hope to make progress in 2015.

Both the Dead End Woods Sanctuary and the Peltier Beach
Ridge Sanctuary have extensive areas of Garlic Mustard – Alliaria petiolata, an invasive weed native to Eurasia and North
Africa introduced to North America in the mid 1800’s as a culinary herb. It
lives up to its name and is quite tasty, but is also quite invasive in open
forest, displacing native plant species where it grows in thick patches. Our
board members have been steadily working away each year on pulling the main
patches of Garlic Mustard from the Dead End Woods but we definitely need more
help if we are going to completely get rid of it.

Garlic Mustard

The Dead End Woods has another big invasive weed problem on
the west end of the sanctuary, Yellow Archangel - Lamiastrum galeobdolon, an invasive groundcover native to Europe
that spread from residences in Old Farm subdivision. The Yellow Archangel has
spread about 50 feet into the woods, creating a near solid cover that has eliminated
all but a few native forest herbs. It is extremely difficult to eradicate. Unfortunately,
Fort Gratiot Township has made burning an expensive control option by requiring
$250 for a fire crew and truck to be present. Although we have this DTE Energy
grant, I am reluctant to spend so much for what we feel are excessive measures
for a small controlled burn with good control lines.

Yellow Archangel

The north side of the Dead End Woods Sanctuary has a few
patches of invasive Periwinkle – Vinca
minor, another ornamental ground cover species native to Eurasia. It is
also difficult to eradicate, but because there are only a few small patches so
far, it should be fairly easy to remove.

Periwinkle

In addition to Garlic Mustard, the Peltier Beach Ridge
Sanctuary has some dense patches of Tartarian Honeysuckle – Lonicera tatarica, native to northeast
Asia and brought to North America as an ornamental shrub. There is also a fair
amount of Common Privet – Ligustrum vulgare,
another invasive shrub native to Eurasia and North Africa brought to North
America as a hedge plant. The only good control for these invasive shrubs, short
of killing everything with herbicide, is pulling, followed by repeated burns to
kill seeds on the ground surface. As with most invasive weeds, effective control
of honeysuckle and privet is a long-term proposition.

Tartarian Honeysuckle

The TLC knew the Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary had a lot of
invasive weeds before we accepted ownership of it. But, not owning the land
doesn’t make those weeds go away. Almost the whole beach ridge and swale
landscape in Saint Clair County has been covered by extensive areas of invasive
weeds for decades. Despite this, the plant community still contains many unique
native species like Purple-flowering Raspberry – Rubus odoratus, known to be native in only 7 Michigan counties and
restricted largely to near-shoreline areas, and also Yellow Lady’s-slipper
orchid – Cypripedium parviflorum. The
beach ridge and swale complex is valuable in many other ways, including the
extensive wetland swales, forest cover, and habitat for migratory birds that
move along and reside near Lake Huron. Refer back to a previous blog post on
March 9, 2015 entitled “Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary”.

Thankfully, the TLC Gerrits Sanctuary in Ira Township
contains relatively few invasive weeds. We have pulled a few Garlic Mustard
plants, and where there are a few, there are likely more. There are also a few
Autumn-olive – Elaeagnus umbellata,
an invasive Eurasian shrub, in the north field of the sanctuary, and Oriental
Bittersweet – Celastrus orbiculatus,
an invasive east Asian vine, along the northeast boundary. Otherwise, the
preserve appears to be largely free of invasive weeds.

Other stewardship issues to be addressed on all of the TLC
sanctuaries include neighborhood dumping of grass clippings, leaves, and occasionally,
scrap materials like treated lumber or shingles. This has been a big problem on
the Dead End Woods Sanctuary, although we are making progress. There hasn’t
been much trouble on the Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary or Gerrits Sanctuary.

Sometimes people wonder why leaves and grass clippings are a
problem when dumped on a nature preserve. They reason that its all plant
material and so should be good for nature. It sounds reasonable on the surface,
but the issue is in the amount and concentration of these materials. It’s like,
a drink of water is nice but if we dump you in middle of an ocean, you probably
wouldn’t like that. So leaves and grass are a natural part of most native plant
communities, but limited to only the plants that grow in those areas. So, just a
limited amount of leaves, grass, branches, and other organic matter falls to
the ground surface, in Michigan largely only in the autumn, not all summer long.
Woodland herbs and tree seedlings are able to grow up through the natural
amount of leaf matter on the ground in the spring. In fact, they rely on that
leaf material for nutrients, moisture retention, temperature control, and other
benefits. But if you dump a pile of leaves in the forest, even just a foot or
so deep, chances are most of the native woodland plants aren’t able to grow up
through that layer, at least not without considerable time, trouble, and
deformation. Most small plants in those areas will eventually die because they
are “suffocated” by too many leaves, grass clippings, or whatever. In this
case, the leaves and other material become mulch. Most people know that mulch
is used to keep plants from growing in an area. Even just a small amount of
excess organic matter on the forest floor can favor increased numbers of slugs,
snails, and other organisms such as fungus, that consume or otherwise destroy
the native plants. Another problem is that sometimes, invasive weed seeds and
live plants are contained in yard waste dumped on a nature preserve. This may
be how Garlic Mustard was brought to the Dead End Woods Sanctuary. This makes a
huge problem for the stewards of preserves, and we don’t any more problems. So,
please consider composting or mulching your leaves and grass clippings on your
own property. Don’t dump on ours. Once you understand the value of organic
matter to the soil in your garden, flower beds, or even just your lawn, it
seems like you’d want to keep every bit of it. Unlike all the compost methods
and systems you see in the gardening magazines, you really don’t need to get
fancy about it. Just pile the material up in a back corner somewhere and it
will soon break down into that carbon-laden black material that will bring your
soil to life.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Thanks to writer Bob Gross, the Thumb Land Conservancy had a little coverage this past Sunday in the Port Huron Times Herald.

My quote makes the TLC seem a bit like "hicks from the sticks" compared to the other groups because we don’t claim to have complex innovations or a polished strategy for protecting land. I guess we don't right now actually. For one thing, all land is important in some way. Secondly, we know significant natural areas and rare species, and when opportunities arise to protect them, we can focus our efforts. Otherwise, we don't need to limit the TLC to only the best natural areas and rarest species. We want to work very locally, with anyone interested in protecting nature around them.

The TLC is also connected with just about every other group and person named in the article. I worked for The Nature Conservancy in 1984-86. Most of us in the TLC knew Bertha Daubendiek personally, the charismatic founder of the Michigan Nature Association. I worked for Bertha occasionally in 1989-90, exploring potential preserves and searching for rare species. My wife, Cheryl, was on the MNA board for 6 or 7 years. We also co-founded the Macomb Land Conservancy in 2000, which later merged with the Oakland Land Conservancy to become Six Rivers Land Conservancy. The history behind that is long and interesting. Years ago I attended some of the original meetings of what became the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy with the previous director, Jack Smiley, who I knew through Bertha Daubendiek. More recently, I worked for Mark Brochu of St. Clair County Parks and Recreation to assess the ecological values of nearly every new park they acquired. My reports assisted them in obtaining Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants for the Columbus County Park on the Belle River, Camp Woodsong on the Black River, and Fort Gratiot County Park on Lake Huron, plus a few properties along the Wadhams to Avoca Trail.

So, like I said in the article, if you have ideas and ambition, let us know and we will see how the TLC can help you, or you can help the TLC.

The land preservation movement in Michigan started in St. Clair County.

In 1960, the fledgling Michigan Nature Association made its first purchase, 40 acres north of Capac originally called Redwing Acres, but now known as the Louis G. Senghas Memorial.

"We have a long history in St. Clair County, and our roots going back to the 1950s as Michigan's first land trust go back to St. Clair County," said Garret Johnson, executive director of the association.

The MNA now has more than 170 nature sanctuaries in Michigan, including about 13 in St. Clair County.

"That puts St. Clair County as one of the early innovators in terms of land preservation," Johnson said.

For years, the MNA was based in Avoca — the home of its founder, Bertha Daubendiek. It has offices now in Okemos.

"We were in the first generation, the first 30 or 40 back in the 1950s," Johnson said.

"The MNA is Michigan's first and we're home grown," he said. "We retain that local citizen, do it on our own kind of community spirit."

The association is the largest landowner of the six nature conservancies with holdings or that work in St. Clair County. Those conservancies create nature preserves, some of which are open to the public and some that require a guide to visit, and work with municipalities to preserve areas that are unique to the county.

One of the newest kids on the block is the Blue Water Land Fund. It's the entity created by the Community Foundation of St. Clair County to hold title to and guide the preservation of the Blue Water River Walk, which opened in June 2014.

Jenifer Kusch is the secretary of the land fund.

"The riverfront definitely is a priority of ours," Kusch said. "The properties that we are interested in are those that would have some value to conserve. An empty lot in town might be a nice gift, but it could not be one we would likely hold in trust."

Potential donors, she said, first would contact Randy Maiers, executive director of the community foundation at (810) 984-4761.

"A group from the land fund would supply a questionnaire and determine the next steps, whether we would be interested in visiting the property ... we do have a protocol for it," she said.

Conservancies, she said, exist to save some of the special areas.

"It is important because of the rapid pace of development and habitat destruction that some special places be saved for the enjoyment of citizens and the continued viability of species," Kusch said.

Conservancies also enjoy a flexibility that public agencies don't. For example, conservancies can purchase a piece of critical property and hold it in trust for a public entity until that entity can put together the funding to purchase it outright.

Mark Brochu, director of St. Clair County Parks and Recreation, said the county has used that funding mechanism several times to add to the park system.

"The first time we did it was when we purchased the property for Fort Gratiot County Park," he said.

The Trust for Public Land originally was going to hold the property for the county but had to drop out when the price increased. Brochu said Citizens First stepped in and held the property for the county.

The Trust for Public Land was able to hold the property that became Columbus County Park until the county could secure funding, Brochu said.

On Thursday, he said, county commissioners approved two agreements with the community foundation and the Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy, which is based in Oakland Township.

The community foundation will purchase and hold for the county 38.79 acres on the Pine River adjacent to Goodells County Park, and the county will reimburse the foundation $180,000 plus incidentals, Brochu said. Six Rivers, he said, will purchase and hold 25.99 acres northwest of Columbus County Park on the Belle River, and the county will reimburse it for $77,000, also plus incidentals.

"It's a process that helps us gain control of the property and maintain our eligibility (for a Natural Resources Trust Fund grant)," Brochu said.

The Six Rivers conservancy — which grew out of the Oakland and Macomb land conservancies — is named for six major rivers that rise in or touch Oakland County: the Huron, the Rouge, the Clinton, the Shiawassee, the Flint and the Belle, said Chris Bunch, the conservancy's executive director.

"If you were going to argue why we are called Six Rivers Land Conservancy, you would argue about whether the Belle River actually crosses into Oakland County, while standing in a wetland," he said.

The conservancy has been working with the Belle River Watershed Group to develop a watershed management plan. In 2011, the county health department received $250,000 to develop a plan for the watershed.

"We've been working on prioritizing land for preservation for water quality purposes," Bunch said. "That's part of the Belle River Watershed Management Plan that is being run by the St. Clair County Health Department."

One of the major issues identified in the Belle River, he said, is fallen trees, log jams and woody debris.

He said four years ago, he and another staff member tried to kayak the Belle from Columbus County Park to a takeout at King Road in China Township.

"We had to portage around the world's largest logjam," he said. "It was huge. I swear it was 100 yards long.

"One of the priorities of that watershed plan is to get a lot of that woody debris cleared out to make it more accessible," he said.

The Thumb Land Conservancy, which is based in Marlette, has three properties in St. Clair County, said Bill Collins, the conservancy director. The Dead End Woods comprises 18 acres in Fort Gratiot; the Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary is 11.5 acres at Metcalf and M-25; and the Dr. James F. Gerrits Memorial Sanctuary is 38.5 acres in Ira Township.

The Peltier and Dead End Woods properties were conserved as mitigation for wetlands developments, Collins said; the Gerrits property was a gift to the conservancy.

"We'll work with anybody who has any good ideas to preserve any property," he said. "We have to work within our bylaws. We have to focus on natural areas, but we'll consider any project anybody brings up."

The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest land trusts in the United States, worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Dickinson Island in the 1990s, said Lisa Niemi, conservation information coordinator with the conservancy.

"We haven't worked there in a while," she said. "What we did on Dickinson is we worked with the DNR and we acquired a number of tracts, just small ones, and it comes to about 10 acres we transferred to the DNR.

"A lot of times we are able to move faster than the state or any federal agency."

The Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, which is based on Ypsilanti, holds a conservation easement on the Edna S. Newnan Nature Sanctuary in Wales Township near Emmett, said Jill Lewis, the organization's executive director. The property owner is the Michigan Nature Association.

She said the conservancy wants to take a proactive approach to land conservation, but so far its work in St. Clair County has been reactive.

"Sometimes, conservancies can have different criteria," she said. "We're looking for high quality natural areas."

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

In 2013, the TLC produced a color tri-fold brochure and printed
several hundred to be distributed to the public throughout the Thumb. We take a
stack wherever we go and leave them here and there at government offices,
libraries, restaurants, and other places. Our executive board member, Dr.
Scott Ferguson, has some at his dentist office in Wadhams. Brochures have also been
passed out in Port Austin, Bad Axe, Port Sanilac, Sandusky, Marlette, Brown
City, Yale, Port Huron, Caro, Vassar, Lapeer and beyond. We still have a lot left and would like to
print more to get the word out. If you’re interested in distributing our
brochure or helping us fund the next printing, we would gladly accept your
help, and it’s tax-deductible.

I’ve worked as an ecologist and wetland
consultant for 25 years. If you are counting on wetlands or rare species to
protect a treasured natural area near you, think again. While I’ve had some
success in protection, I’ve seen areas with extensive wetlands, old-growth
forest, Endangered or Threatened species, significant wildlife values, and even
an ancient Native American burial site, all destroyed by development.

If you are hoping that certain agencies or
organizations will come to the rescue, it’s very unlikely. Trust me. On some
sites we’ve tried just about everything. We’ve even gone to court and presented
information to agencies and politicians at higher levels than you might
imagine. You should also know that even when regulatory protection is
successful, it is within a very specific statutory framework particular to a
resource. So, for example, while much of a site may be protected as wetland, it
doesn’t mean that the owner can’t clear-cut the forest. Regulatory success may
also be temporary, lasting only until the next challenge by the landowner and
their team of consultants and attorneys, or until the next legislative or rule changes
affect the resource regulation. We’ve had a lot of changes in wetland
regulation over the past 5 or 6 years in Michigan.

Regarding the various organizations working in
nature preservation, just like the TLC, they all have specific missions and target
areas. The statewide groups are usually only interested in natural areas or
species that are of significance on a statewide, ecoregional, or sometimes even
global level. Other groups are largely dedicated to particular values such as
water quality, certain types of wildlife, certain natural communities, or agricultural
lands.

In my years of ecological work, both as a private
consultant and previously having worked for The Nature Conservancy and on a
brief contract basis with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife
Division and the Michigan Nature Association, I noticed that other parts of
Michigan get much of the attention while the Thumb has been mostly left out. An
exception to this is the early history of the Michigan Nature Association, but that’s
another story. There has been some effort to protect the Saint Clair River
delta, including Dickinson Island, Harsens Island, and the Algonac State Park
vicinity. The Saint Clair River has had a lot of funding. Much of the Minden Bog
in Sanilac County has been protected. There has been a fair amount of attention
given to lands along the Saginaw Bay. But otherwise, the Thumb seems to have
been largely ignored by State and federal efforts, even though we have a lot of
great natural features here. Only in recent years have I heard anything about
the Port Huron State Game Area being recognized as the significant natural area
that it is.

So, the message here is, if you want to make sure
natural lands are protected, it is best to be proactive about it. That means, before
the for-sale signs go up, before you read about it in the newspaper, before the
public notice for a permit application, and before the heavy equipment arrives
on site, you need to get the land under a conservation easement or you need to
make sure it is owned by a conservancy or other owner committed to long-term
preservation. I fully realize that the prospects are daunting and sometimes it’s
just impossible I guess. But, at the risk of giving you just another cliché,
you truly don’t know until you try.

In an effort to help anyone interested in
preservation, the TLC has produced a summary of various land protection methods.
The pages of this document are provided below. Donations and conservation
easements are standard for land conservancies. Other methods, like reserved
life estates, are more elaborate but provide greater flexibility. Still other options,
like deeded access, are on the edge of being experimental, but could accomplish
land protection where all else fails.

If you are interested in working to preserve any piece
of land and bring the project to the TLC, we will try to work with you as best
we can to help. You may have a project ready to go or it may just be a vague
idea. Regardless, contact us and we will see what we can do together.

On May 12, 2014 the TLC had a nature walk on the Gerrits
Sanctuary for the Rochester Branch of the Women's
National Farm and Garden Association. Because Susan Gerrits is a member, they
had been interested in seeing the sanctuary and looking at the native forest
plants. Good weather and the wetlands were wet. We had to break a little early because
of an incoming thunderstorm. What a different world now when someone can track
an incoming storm on radar with their smart phone. Everyone learned something
and had a good time. Afterwards, we all had lunch at The Raft restaurant on
Anchor Bay and we even made plans for a special botanical rescue mission.

Then on May 18, 2014, we had a special day on the Gerrits
Sanctuary to celebrate the 12th birthday of Rose Gerrits,
granddaughter of Dr. James and Lois Gerrits, and daughter of Susan Gerrits.
Rose invited her friends and family to spend the day on the land once owned by
her grandparents. She made a request to the TLC through her mother, to "take everyone to the forest in St. Clair to clean up”,
and also asked “people to bring presents to donate to charity".

Well, we had great weather and a fun time. It
was the perfect time to be in the forest to see all the new spring wildflowers
and hear the woodland birds that had just arrived north for the summer. The
swamp was good and wet, excellent for log crossings. All this, and no
mosquitoes. Yay!

Rose and friends

Cheryl and Susan

Kevin

We found the perfect tree for a group photo.

We spent quite a while in the southwest end of the sanctuary
and I more fully realized what a high quality forest community it is. There are
many uncommon plant species relict from the forest before European settlement.
As I had observed about 13 years earlier in connection with trying to protect a
nearby woods in Macomb County, the interior of this large forest tract contains
tip-up mounds of moist sand with northern plant species like clubmosses, Starflower,
and Goldthread. Some areas look surprisingly like habitat for Michigan
Endangered Painted Trillium – Trillium undulatum,
and it would be quite a surprise to find it that far south in Saint Clair
County.

Upland and swamp forest complex in southwest of Gerrits Sanctuary, showing American Beech, Yellow Birch, and Mayapple, among other species.

One of the clubmosses in the forest, Ground-pine - Lycopodium obscurum.

After our time in the forest, we all had a
birthday picnic at a nearby playground in Hometown Anchor Bay modular park.
This was a very nice day to spend on the Gerrits Sanctuary, especially thinking
back on our 3 years of trouble with Ira Township and the City of New Baltimore.
I look forward to more days like this.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

On May 4, the TLC held its 2014
annual meeting at the residence of executive board member Dorothy Craig,
adjacent to our Dead End Woods Sanctuary in Fort Gratiot. Like any good
meeting, we got the business out of the way, and then headed for the food. A
few members of the public attended, including our friends Laurie and Tom Dennis
of the Blue Water Audubon Society, among several other groups, Jeanne Ruthven
of Kimball Township, my cousin, Jackie Johnston, who lives in the neighborhood,
and also my father, Bob Collins, just a few houses down the road.

Mike Connell, well-known writer
for the Port Huron Times Herald, gave a very interesting and thorough
presentation about the Native American history of our region, starting way back
from the last glacier. Mike and I have found we share a lot in common, starting
with our Irish ancestry I suppose, although mine is probably heavier on the
English side. We both look back very fondly to the “green and golden summers” of
our youth, as Mike put it so perfectly, working at our local Scout camps, he in
West Virginia and I at Silver Trails near Jeddo. We are also fascinated by the
early history of our area, back when the forest primeval still covered our region.
Thanks again to Mike for taking time to spend a few hours with us.

After Mike’s presentation, more
food, and then we moved to Dorothy’s garden shed for my visual tour of the
Thumb’s varied landscapes, natural communities, and unique species. As usual, I
carried on too long with too many pictures, but for those that sat through it,
I’m pretty sure they must have picked up a little more appreciation for what we
have here.

After the meeting, most of us went
for a little nature walk through the Dead End Woods Sanctuary. With the long
cold winter we had, the first winter I’m aware that we endured the “polar
vortex”, it was reassuring to once again see the blooming Trout-lily and new
stalks of Mayapple. But this was May 4, and I recall some years when these
spring wildflowers were up almost a month earlier. It was still quite cool on
this day, as though another polar vortex was watching us from the north, ready
to blow in any minute.

Trout-lily - Erythronium americanum

Trout-lily - Erythronium americanum

Cousin Jackie Johnston checking her field guide.

Left to right: Laurie Dennis, Jeanne Ruthven, and TLC board member Kay Cumbow.

For those that didn’t attend our
meeting and experience my presentation on the Thumb’s natural features, here’s
a rough outline. This is by no means exhaustive, and we believe all natural
areas are valuable, but it provides the highlights of our region: